I am the founder and CEO of the award-winning Marketing Zen Group, an integrated online marketing and digital PR firm. I am also an international speaker, bestselling author, and a regular media correspondent for major networks ranging from Fox Business to Bloomberg. I write and speak on business, marketing, and how to make an impact in the digital age. My book, The Zen of Social Media Marketing, now in its 3rd edition, is used as a de facto textbook in social media classes around the world. As an international speaker, I’ve been invited to share the stage with the world’s top leaders, including President Obama and the Dalai Lama. I look forward to connecting with you!

The One Thing Which Will Guarantee You Marketing Results

The one thing I’ve learned from running my own company and working with hundreds of others is that true success is a result of consistently doing the not-so-sexy work required. It’s the gritty, day in and day out, nose to the grindstone stuff. I am talking… staying up late, waking up early, hiring the right people, firing the wrong ones, answering emails while on vacation, going the extra mile to help a client meet a deadline. It takes time and effort to build something you can be proud of, but when it comes to marketing, we seem to forget all of this.

And now I know why.

It’s because consistency isn’t sexy. But, it’s the number one thing which will get you results.

Somehow we have mistaken the age of instant communication to mean the age of instant results. Faster results than any other time in history I’ll grant you. But, instant? Only if you think gambling in Vegas is a sound financial strategy.

Why do we always look for shortcuts?

Partially, it is human nature. There is a reason gambling, miracle diet pills, and self-help books get bandied around. We want to make more money, lose more weight, and have fulfilling lives – but working harder, hitting up the gym more, and dealing with family issues? “Isn’t there a shortcut”, we ask ourselves. Everything in life worth cultivating – a healthy body, a business, and relationships – requires an investment, and the return almost always correlates to the investment you make. Just ask anyone who has taken the time to mentor a kid in need.

And, the media doesn’t help.

It doesn’t matter if you are reading the NY Times or watching Entertainment Tonight. Stories of overnight pop sensations and start-ups being funded by Ashton Kutcher make the news, and that becomes what people aspire to. The flukes begin to look like the norm, and the norm – well, that starts to look plain boring. Even shows like Mad Men haven’t done us any real favors. A cigar, a shot of whiskey, and one brilliant moment of insight isn’t what gets results – although it does make for good TV. As a mentor for many start-ups, I’ve seen founders with companies less than a month old ask me with a straight face: “How long do you think before we get acquired by Google or Facebook?” It is a fair question because…just look at Instagram. (Please ignore the other ten thousand start-ups because really, who focuses on people who don’t win the Powerball jackpot?)

Marketing is approached with the same attitude.

Here are some statements and questions I hear on an almost laughably regular basis from everyone ranging from new entrepreneurs to seasoned executives.

“Our site was optimized by our developer.” This usually leads to me explaining why SEO can never be a one-time process, usually met with incredulous looks of amazement. “You mean we have to keep working at it?”

“How long do we have to market?” Only as long as you want to stay in business.

“We like to go all out and post at least 12 times a day – that way we get faster results.” Yet, reach and engagement keep decreasing.

“Our competitor had a video go viral. How do we make a viral video?” Use puppies, maybe a horse, and make it about beer. Wait, you didn’t actually want it to covert, right?

“We blog whenever Lisa (and there is always a Lisa) has time to get around to it. Can we please talk about why our traffic is down?”

“Why do we need an ad budget for social media? Isn’t it free?” Yes. Facebook will be filing for non-profit status as soon as Sheryl Sandberg runs for Senator. Wait, actually, that may happen. Not the non-profit status part, the Sandberg part.

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Yea Shama, most issues that my clients face is that they are not consistent and patient to see results in the long run. The most successful people are those who carefully use marketing methods that truly make an effect on their business through patience and consistency.